What does this vegetated (green) roof final checklist cover?

15 items across 5 sections, covering roof access, media and drainage, planting, edges and access, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.

Who should run this inspection?

The green-roof installer's foreman with the landscape crew, and the GC's superintendent before turnover.

When in the schedule should this walk happen?

After media is placed and planting is in, with establishment irrigation running, before the roof is handed over and put under its maintenance plan.

Why do these items ask for a photo?

9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.

What most often fails a vegetated (green) roof final inspection?

Media raked thin over the high spots to stretch the load, so plants there dry out and die back within a season. Drainage layer choked with media where it meets the drains, so the roof ponds instead of draining through. Edge pavers and ballast left light at the corners and parapets where wind uplift is worst, so they migrate in the first big storm.

Can I use this checklist in RTI?

Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Free checklist

Vegetated (green) roof

Vegetated (green) roof final inspection checklist

Vegetated (green) roof final inspection is where the punch list is either short or expensive. This checklist walks the finished work the way an owner or AHJ will see it: devices on, systems running, everything labeled. Each item gets the photo that closes it instead of reopening it. Work is commonly verified against manufacturer's published instructions, the applicable building code. Confirm the edition your authority having jurisdiction has adopted.

Start free with this checklist Download as PDF

The checklist

Every item, and the photo evidence it needs

The photo count on each row is what RTI would require before the item can be submitted. Work the list here and watch the gate hold, or load it into RTI and let it enforce the real thing.

Roof access

Fall protection in place for the roof walk
Guardrails, parapets, warning lines or anchor points at edges and openings in place before the walk party steps out, with edge work done tied off per the site's fall protection plan.
No photo
Maintenance access route to each planted area walked with the owner
Hatch or door to each planted area, walkway pavers, and the guardrails, parapets or anchor points the design provides for maintenance staff pointed out.
No photo

Media and drainage

Growing media at the specified depth throughout
Media depth probed at multiple points across the roof, at the design depth over the whole area, not just at the piles.
Drainage layer continuous and clear to the drains
Drainage path unobstructed from field to drains, media held back from the drain inlets, no ponding after irrigation.
Media surface finished below edging and base flashing tops
Settled media sits below the top of edging, curbs and the membrane termination per the details, never banked up against base flashing or counterflashing.

Planting

Plant layout and coverage per the plan
Species, spacing and layout matching the planting plan, plugs or mats seated in the media, coverage even across the field.
Establishment irrigation operating
Irrigation running and reaching the full planted area, controller set for the establishment schedule, no dry zones.
No photo
Exposed media protected from wind scour until plants fill in
Erosion blanket, tackifier or pre-grown mats over bare media per the design, pinned at edges and corners where wind strips a new roof first.

Edges and access

Walkway pavers and edge ballast in place against uplift
Pavers and wind-uplift ballast set at the specified weight and coverage along edges, corners and around penetrations, sitting flat and stable.
Drain and inspection-port access maintained
Every inspection port and drain still reachable through the finished media and planting, lids clear and openable.
Gravel borders free of spilled media and plant plugs
Vegetation-free zones at drains, walls and penetrations swept of media and stray plugs left from planting, stone depth even and edging still upright.

Turnover and establishment

Baseline coverage photo taken of each planted area
Photo from a fixed, noted point on each planted area at turnover, so coverage at the end of the establishment period can be compared from the same spot.
Establishment watering schedule written up for the owner
Watering frequency for the establishment period, when to cut it back, and how to water by hand if the system is down, handed to the owner's maintenance staff.
No photo
Establishment and maintenance period start date agreed
Start of the installer's establishment or maintenance period set in writing with the owner, with visit frequency and the coverage target from the spec.
No photo
Maintenance manual, plant list and system warranty handed over
Green-roof maintenance manual, as-planted species list, media and component submittals and the system warranty delivered to the owner and logged.
No photo

What usually sends this back

The failures are almost always the evidence, not the work

Media raked thin over the high spots to stretch the load, so plants there dry out and die back within a season.
Drainage layer choked with media where it meets the drains, so the roof ponds instead of draining through.
Edge pavers and ballast left light at the corners and parapets where wind uplift is worst, so they migrate in the first big storm.

Common questions

6 answers

What does this vegetated (green) roof final checklist cover?: 15 items across 5 sections, covering roof access, media and drainage, planting, edges and access, and more. Each item spells out what the person walking the job is actually looking for, not just a box to tick.
Who should run this inspection?: The green-roof installer's foreman with the landscape crew, and the GC's superintendent before turnover.
When in the schedule should this walk happen?: After media is placed and planting is in, with establishment irrigation running, before the roof is handed over and put under its maintenance plan.
Why do these items ask for a photo?: 9 of the 15 items call for photo evidence, 13 photos in all. A checklist answer without the photo is a claim; the photo is what makes the record worth something in a dispute and lets a reviewer approve work without re-walking the job.
What most often fails a vegetated (green) roof final inspection?: Media raked thin over the high spots to stretch the load, so plants there dry out and die back within a season. Drainage layer choked with media where it meets the drains, so the roof ponds instead of draining through. Edge pavers and ballast left light at the corners and parapets where wind uplift is worst, so they migrate in the first big storm.
Can I use this checklist in RTI?: Yes. Start a free RTI workspace, build this list as a checklist, and the Photo Gate holds the submit button until every mandatory item is answered and its photos are attached. Approved inspections roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident audit trail.

Related checklists

Vegetated (green) roof Rough-inVegetated (green) roof rough-in inspection checklistRoot barrier, drainage layers, drain access and edging verified over the tested membrane, with the flood test witnessed before any growing media goes down15 items17 photos Vegetated (green) roof PunchVegetated (green) roof punch checklistCloseout walk for ponding, thin media, blocked drain access and plant replacement10 items4 photos

Run it with the Photo Gate

A checklist nobody can submit half-finished

Load this list into RTI, stick a QR tag on the area it covers, and the submit button stays locked until every mandatory item is answered and the 13 required photos exist. Approved walks roll into a branded turnover package with a tamper evident record behind every line.